The present invention relates to a mould arrangement for moulding optodevices onto optical fibre ribbons, wherein the mould comprises a plurality of plates which are intended to be inserted between the movable top plate, or press plate, and the stationary bottom plate, or counterpressure plate, of a transfer moulding press, and includes an inlet channel, primary and secondary runners, and an optodevice moulding cavity defined by two of said plates, the fibre ribbon extending through said cavity.
It is known to mould optodevices or ferrules directly onto optical fibres by means of a so-called transfer moulding process. This process involves ejecting moulding compound, such as thermoplastic or like material, into the mould cavity under high pressure, meaning that the seal between the fibre and the mould tool is critical. Although this is not normally a problem in the case of single optofibres having accurate tolerances, the problem of obtaining an effective seal for fibre ribbons is made difficult by the larger tolerances. For instance, when the tolerance for the fibre ribbon lies on a minimum measurement, the seal between ribbon and mould tool becomes incomplete and moulding compound will consequently spray out of the tool. On the other hand, if the tolerance for the fibre ribbon lies on a maximum value, there is a risk that the fibres will be crushed in the tool and reduced to scrap.